Joined
by x-menobsessed26
Summary: A story about two mutants growing and changing together, for better or for worse. Rated M for later chapters; AU.
1. Chapter 1

_**THIS IS AN AU! RATED M FOR LATER CHAPTERS, SO DON'T READ IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE IT!**_ **Now that that is out of the way so no one freaks out, please enjoy the story.**

* * *

"Mama!" Three year old Jean Grey shouted from her perch at the window. "Mama, come see!"

Elaine sighed, having been expecting this, and paused in washing the last plate in the pile, "Leave them alone, Jean. You don't see Sara being nosey, do you?"

"No, Mama! I'm not nosey!" The tiny redhead shouted once more, having no care for the volume of her tone.

Elaine just sighed once more and shook her head, continuing her task. Seven year old Sara, currently coloring with Crayons at the dining table, had always been the calmer, quieter of the two children, nearly always listening and obeying whatever stay-at-home mother Elaine wished. Sara had more of her mother's Dennefer family traits.

When Jean had unexpectedly joined their family, she had embodied the Grey side with a vengeance. Jean was adventurous, rebellious, and energetic, unable to even pretend to be interested in anything that didn't hold her curiosity. Unfortunately, the family moving in next door to the Greys was holding her curiosity.

"Jean Elizabeth Grey, move away from that window now or you can tell your father how you have been disobeying me all morning after he gets home."

Jean finally stepped off of the back of the sofa in her father's office where she had been watching the family, not because she feared what her mother said, knowing her father wouldn't mind her curiosity, but rather not wanting to upset her mother even further. Jean knew her limits and the girl had reached them.

* * *

Later that day, John Grey rubbed his temples and gave in, "Okay, okay. I'll go with you to welcome them, but then we leave, especially if they invite us inside. I'm sure they've had a long day, and if what you say is true and they have two small children, they'd been even more exhausted."

"Sure, sure," Elaine waved her hand, having no intention of listening to her husband. "I'll go get the girls."

The Greys walked over hand in hand, Sara with Elaine, Jean with John, and despite the small chill in the August night air, Jean was excited. She was usually shy around new people, which is partly why no one ever believed her mother when she described what a handful her youngest was, but was more excited about meeting them than she knew she probably should be.

Elaine smiled at her husband and rang the doorbell. The sounds of a cartoon program being played on the living room television were heard along with the song of crickets from outside. Heavy footsteps grew louder as they came closer to the door and were opened to reveal a man in his late twenties, early thirties, with brown hair and eyes, "Hello?"

"Good evening. We live next door and just wanted to wish you a welcome to the neighborhood," Elaine smiled, half in friendliness, half because she could tell Marcia Robinson that she had been the first to welcome this family.

"Thank you," the man smiled back. "I'm Christopher Summers, please call me Chris, and this little man here is Alex."

There was a baby, barely four months old, tucked into his arm, "Nice to meet you Christopher. This is my husband John and my daughters Sara and Jean."

Chris smiled at the two girls and shook John's hand, "Hello. My wife, Katherine, is upstairs getting our other son, Scott, ready for bed. If you would like to come in and wait, I'm sure she would be more than happy to meet you."

John opened his mouth to tell them that they couldn't, but Elaine jumped in and with her giddiness thanked Chris and took her oldest daughter by the wrist and dragged her inside. John could only sigh and bring his youngest inside behind them.

"So, Chris, what do you do for a living?" Elaine asked as she took a seat gestured to by the man in question.

"I am a Major in the United States Air Force," he boasted with a bit of pride. "We move around a lot, but Katherine was an elementary school teacher. She was offered a job two towns from here, and we thought it was about time we had a secure home. If moving is to be done, I will do it alone while she is the main raiser of our children. I will be here as much as I can, but, obviously, that doesn't always work out."

Elaine nodded, "John always feels awful when he has to go away to a conference, he's a professor of history at Bard College, but the girls know they're in good hands with me at home and they're always so happy when John comes home."

"Chris? Is someone else down there?"

Chris turned to talk toward the stairs, "Yes, Kate. Can you come down here when you have a chance? Bring Scott too."

A moment later, Katherine Summers walked down the stairs to smile cheerfully at the family gathered there with her blue eyes and blonde hair, "Well, this is a surprise."

Chris explained to Katherine who they were and her smile grew, "It's very nice to meet you. As I'm sure you guess, this is Scott. Scott, can you say hi?"

The back of a little brunette head was all the family could see as Scott dug his shy face into his mother's shoulder even further. Katherine laughed and hugged her son closer, "I'm sorry. He's a bit shy."

"How old are you, Scott?" John asked the little boy in the same voice he used with his youngest daughter.

Katherine looked lovingly at the face only she could see, "Scott, can you please show these lovely people how old you are?"

Slowly, the little boy turned, revealing the blue eyes of his mother to match with the hair of his father, and raised three fingers. Chris laughed, "He'll be turning four in October."

"Jean here just turned three a few days ago, didn't you, Jeannie?" John asked his daughter, patting her hair.

Jean nodded and Katherine smiled at the young girl, "Maybe you and Scott here could play sometime?"

Elaine gave the other mother a conspiratorial smile, "Indeed they can."

"It would be good to have a friend or two around here before Scott starts pre-school next year," Chris pointed out.

"Friend?" Scott asked, looking at Jean confused.

Jean smiled at him and replied, "Friend."

No one could have predicted how true it was to become.

The Summers family ended up using Elaine Grey as a day time babysitter once school started, for a small fee of course. Elaine was quick to realize that having someone around that Jean could play with helped reign her in.

Scott had a bit of an adventurous streak within him too, but he was also quite the planner, quick to stop something if it became too dangerous or unpredictable, much to Jean's dismay most of the time. Still, she listened to him, the two growing closer than they thought possible over the year while Sara was at school and Alex in Jean's mother's arms.

The next year, the two children started preschool together at the elementary school where Katherine worked, which happened to be where they transferred Sara for convenience. Scott and Jean were nearly joined at the hip, and the connection was only going to grow.

* * *

**I ****know****, ****I ****know****, ****I****'****m ****a ****terrible ****human ****being who should be drawn and quartered ****for ****not ****finishing ****my ****other ****stories ****before ****starting ****this ****one****, ****but ****writer****'****s ****block ****is ****a ****terrible ****disease ****with ****no ****known ****cure ****and ****it ****has ****infected ****nearly ****all ****of ****my ****stories****. ****Hopefully ****writing ****this ****can ****trigger ****something ****and ****I ****can ****continue ****writing ****the ****others****.**

**But ****for ****now****, ****I****'****m ****going ****to ****write ****this ****one****. ****Please ****let ****me ****know ****in ****a ****review ****what ****you ****think ****of ****this ****AU****.**


	2. Chapter 2

"But Mom, I don't wanna go," Scott stomped his little foot.

Katherine sighed as she pulled out the only card she knew would work to get him in the car without waking up the neighborhood, "Jean's coming over, and then we'll all go to school, okay?"

He was quiet a moment, "Jean's coming?"

"Yes, she is, and if you get in the car and be quiet, you can play with her sooner."

He climbed into the back seat of the family's Ford and sat with his hands in his lap. She grinned, shifted her youngest son in her arms and waited for Elaine, Sara, and Jean to walk over. She didn't have to wait long.

Three minutes later, an exasperated Elaine, bored Sara, and fussing Jean. Elaine looked apologetic, but not too much so, at Katherine, "She's not exactly agreeable this morning."

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Katherine replied sweetly as Sara climbed in the back of the car and the mothers traded children.

"How is Alex this morning?"

"He slept, per usual."

Elaine laughed, "Have fun with them. As much as I love my daughter, I think I'd rather deal with your son today."

Jean tried not to feel too hurt at what she heard her mother say. She climbed into the car over her sister and sat next to Scott who smiled at her widely, his blue eyes sympathetic in a way too mature for someone only four years old.

Katherine climbed into the car and smiled at the kids in her backseat, "Are we ready to go?"

Sara nodded and the other two were too preoccupied with a pebble they'd found on the floor of the car to hear her. She chuckled and they went on their way to school.

When they arrived, Katherine turned around to look at the kids, "Scott, Jean, you two stay together, alright? I'll come for you both as soon as possible, okay?"

They nodded and she turned to Sara, "Would you like me to come for you, or can you find your way to the preschool room?"

"I'll walk down. It's not too far," she shrugged, trying to look brave, but obvious nervousness filled her face.

"Alright then. Sara, I'm going to let you take Scott and Jean down to the preschool classroom so you know where it is for the end of the day. Have a good day, everyone. Stay together you two!"

With that, Sara took her little sister and her sister's best friend by the hands and dragged them inside while Katherine gathered her things and followed behind them, but stopped following when she reached the fourth grade classroom. Sara turned the corner and walked to the end of the hallway covered with large brightly colored letters and name labeled lockers.

A nice looking middle aged woman, a few years older than Elaine Grey, stood outside the preschool classroom. She smiled at the trio as they walked down the hallway, "You're rather early."

When no one said anything, the woman smiled even larger, "My name is Mrs. Hill. Can you tell me your names?"

Sara looked at the other two, "My name is Sara Grey. I'm in second grade. This is my sister Jean and our neighbor Scott Summers."

"Then you must be Katherine Summers' son," Mrs. Hill said to the shy boy. "Nice to meet you, Sara, and I'll take them from you now."

Sara nodded, hugged her sister, and walked down to her classroom. Mrs. Hill led the two children, now holding hands tightly, into the colorful classroom, "You two can play anywhere you want until the other children arrive."

Jean grinned at Scott and pointed to a box of puzzles in the corner, covered with dust. It was next to the dusty bookshelf. Scott nodded having a love for puzzles as big as Jean's love for reading, though they each loved the other activity as well.

Scott pulled out a couple of puzzles and began doing them with a sharp eye while Jean pulled a couple of Dr. Suess books out and slowly read out loud to her friend. It was their routine.

The other children began arriving, but they noticed them as much as those children noticed the two friends. They didn't, at least until Mrs. Hill called them all together as a group. Even then, they stood close together and held hands, intimidated by the large group of people, many of whom already knew each other.

They were the odd ones out, and it continued for many days, weeks, and months. They were excluded from almost anything the other children did unless they were put together by Mrs. Hill. Separating them quickly became impossible, as they would make sure they finished their task as quickly as possible just so they could get back together.

It disturbed the teacher that these two kids could be so dependent on each other, so she called the Greys and the Summers together in a parent-teacher conference. Elaine was already upset that she had to call a babysitter for the night, but she knew this conference wouldn't help any.

The moment they walked in and took their seats, all three parents (Chris was away and couldn't make it, but still wanted to be informed of what it concerned) had a bad feeling. Mrs. Hill shook their hands, "Thank you for coming."

"What is it you are so concerned about with our children?" Elaine cut to the chase. Her daughter might be rowdy, but she wasn't a bad child.

"So much for pleasantries," Mrs. Hill sighed. "I'm worried that Scott and Jean are, well, too close."

John folded his hands together and crossed his ankles, "Could you explain please? Especially to how this affects them personally."

"They are always together, joined at the hip. I've never seen anything like this. I've seen children close before, sure, but this is like the other is a lifeline. Have they ever had friends other than family and each other?"

Katherine looked a bit guilty, "Scott never really had the opportunity. We were moving all over and he never got settled until he was three. Even then we never had the opportunity to social with him and he met Jean the moment we settled. Other than his brother and Jean's sister, there hasn't been anyone else."

"Jean was the same way. The other kids never really seemed to get along with her, and she wanted to do things they didn't. Eventually, we just kept her home, she was such a trouble maker. Meeting Scott knocked some of that trouble out of her," Elaine explained.

Mrs. Hill repositioned her glasses, "I'm simply concerned that this exclusion by the other children will prevent them from growing mentally and socially."

"If these other kids already dislike them, what is going to magically make them friends again?" John asked. "I'm not saying we did Scott and Jean a service by putting them together as much as we did, but they still have a choice in this. No one is forcing them to stay together or not make other friends. They made that choice themselves."

Mrs. Hill began again, "I understand that, but I believe that if you talked to them about this they would start to-"

"Start to what? Hate the only friend they have? Preventing them from seeing the only person who makes them happy isn't doing good things for either one."

"So what would you suggest, Mrs. Summers?" Mrs. Hill asked.

"Letting it go. They'll figure it out for themselves, if not now then someday."

With that, Mrs. Hill concluded the conference, and Scott and Jean finished preschool a few months later, closer as friends than they were going in. They were slowly learning that they didn't need to spend every moment together, but they still shared everything with each other and loved every second of it.

**Thanks for reading, but please review with what you think might be coming for Scott and Jean. **

**Next chapter : the adventures of kindergarten.**


	3. Chapter 3

Kindergarten was a very different experience from pre-school, however similar it seemed. They were now forced to learn different things, whereas in pre-school it had only been encouraged.

However, that didn't affect Jean nor Scott, both being children of teachers. They learned with great speed and drive, and were ahead of their class by far, but the teacher never noticed due to no one ever noticing them. When they were noticed, it was always together.

They were often the brunt of jokes, no matter how stupid the insults were. It always hurt them to be called names, though they only ever really showed it when alone with each other. The adults in their lives were pleasantly oblivious to their pain, and they simply enjoyed each other's company. There's nothing weird about that, right?

It was second grade. Jean was seven, and Scott would soon be turning eight. One day, when sitting in Scott's bedroom on a Saturday playing with a few matchbox cars, Jean noticed something which changed their interactions forever.

"Hey, Scott!"

"What?"

"I just noticed something!"

He put down his red racecar, "What?"

"I can see my bedroom from here!"

Scott rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the car, "We know that, Jean. We've always known that."

She shook her head fiercely, "No, no! You don't get it! If you can see my room from here, then you can see me from here!"

"So?" his interest was only slightly peaked, which irritated the redhead.

"So, when I get grounded again-"

"When?" Scott laughed. "You think you're going to be grounded again."

Jean grinned, "You think I won't be? With the kind of trouble you get me into?"

He giggled and pushed at her playfully, "You get yourself into trouble, and you usually bring me along anyway. It's _your_ fault, not mine."

Jean waved a hand, much like her mother, though Scott knew if he said that he would be given another one of Jean's famous black-eye punches. He wasn't a wimp, but they hurt! "What I mean is...well, I was reading a book the other day-"

"That's a surprise," he retorted sarcastically.

"Be quiet!" she hissed. "Anyway, in the book, these two girls were talking to each other at night through their windows. They lived next door to each other and could see each other through them. Obviously, your fence isn't high enough to block our view of each other. Your window faces my balcony! This means we can talk when our parents say no!"

"They'll hear us though. We'd have to shout pretty loud to be heard," Scott pointed out, cars forgotten.

"Uh-uh. No we won't," she grinned. "They used their flashlights and something called Morse code."

Scott grinned, "I know Morse code. My dad made me learn it."

"Can you teach me?"

"Yeah!"

They shared a grin and Scott began to teach her. Later that day, Jean ran home and got two old flashlights out of a box of supplies in the basement for in case the power went out. She gave one to Scott, "Tonight?"

He nodded, "Tonight."

"Jean!" Katherine called from downstairs. "Your mom called! She wants you home for dinner."

"Okay!" Jean shouted back, looked back at Scott to smile secretly, and ran out the door to go home.

Suddenly, neither could wait for night to fall.

* * *

Jean watched the clock, and at 12:00 she heard her parents shut off their lights for bed. Down the hall, she could just make out her sister's snores. Grinning, she got up slowly, careful not to make a creak, and opened her desk drawer where the flashlight lay.

Walking over to the glass door, she grabbed the dictionary on her bookshelf which had Morse code in it, just in case. Sitting down, she was just in time to see Scott's first message.

.- .-. . / -.- - ..- / - ... . .-. . ..-.. _Are you there?_

-.- . ... .-.-.- _Yes._

-. - - -.. .-.-.- / - ... .. ... / - .- -.- . ... / .- / .- ... .. .-.. . .-.-.- _Good...This takes a while._

Jean giggled quietly. -. - - / - -.- / -... . ... - / .. -.. . .- .-.-.- _Not my best plan._

-. .- ... .-.-.- / .- . / .- ..- ... - / ... .- ...- . / - - / ..-. .. -. -.. / .- / -... . - - . .-. / .- .- -.- .-.-.- _Nah. We just have to find a better way._

-.-. - ..- .-.. -.. / -.- - ..- / .-. . .-. . .- - / - ... .- - ..-.. _ Could you repeat that?_

-. .-. .-. .-.-.- _Grr._

.- ..- ... - / -.- .. -.. -.. .. -. -. .-.-.- _Just kidding._

-.- - ..- / -... . - - . .-. / -... . .-.-.- _You better be._

Jean yawned and frowned, her eyes drooping. .. .-. - / -. - .. -. -. / - - / -... . -.. .-.-.- _I'm going to bed._

- -.- .- -.- .-.-.- / -. - - -.. -. .. -. ... - .-.-.- _Okay. Goodnight._

-. - - -.. -. .. -. ... - .-.-.- _Goodnight._

With that, her limbs heavy with lack of sleep, she put the flashlight back in her desk and crawled into bed, leaving the dictionary on the floor. Scott did the same thing, only not having a dictionary to put away. Both fell into a deep sleep.

Jean's experiment wasn't particularly effective for fast communication, but it did allow for some communication. It wasn't something they utilized all the time, wishing instead for sleep, but when they did they had a lot of fun.

Second grade passed into third grade, and everything was going just fine until November 18th. That's when Scott came to encounter for the first time the green monster of jealousy.

It was a normal school day, the classmates deliberately ignoring the friendly pair while going about their math worksheets when Ms. Thompson, their teacher, clapped her hands to get their attention.

"Class! I have an announcement! A new student will be joining us, after transferring from a different school. Please be nice, as I'm sure you all know what it's like to be afraid in a new place. Annie Richardson, would you come in please?"

A young brown haired girl, looking quite terrified, entered the classroom carrying a backpack with school supplies, barely touched from her time at the previous school. Scott and Jean both recognized Annie. Her family lived just down the road from theirs, but Annie had attended the school Sara had originally attended. The reason for the switch didn't matter to anyone, but Annie saw the familiar faces, even though she didn't know them personally, and immediately reached out a friendly smile toward Jean.

When Jean smiled back, mostly out of shock, Scott felt anger flare inside of him. She was _his _friend! How dare she think she could steal Jean away from him?

Annie took the only empty desk in the classroom, which was to Jean's left in the back of the classroom. This left Jean sandwiched between Scott and Annie, in more ways that the obvious seating arrangement.

At recess, Annie and Jean began to talk to each other and laughed more and more until the bell rang to call them in. Jean and Annie began passing notes in class and hanging out after school.

One day, when Katherine came to pick her son, Sara, and Jean up from school, she noticed that Scott ran straight into the car like he was trying to get away from something. He hid his face in that way that children do when trying to conceal tears.

"Did something happen today, sweetheart?"

He mumbled, tears dragging on his voice, "I don't want to talk about it."

Katherine looked out the window, and saw her other charge, Jean, walking out while talking excitedly to another little girl, Annie she believed her name was. Suddenly, Katherine had a very good idea of what was making her son upset.

"So I see that Jean has a new friend. Is that why you haven't been playing with her after school lately."

Scott began to cry in earnest, "She doesn't want to be my friend anymore."

Katherine was shocked, "Did she say that to you?"

"...no," Scott sniffed. "But why else would she not play with me anymore?"

Katherine smiled, "People can have more than one friend, honey. It seems Jean has two now. She just needs to find a balance between you. Have you talked to her about this?"

"No."

"Why don't you try telling her that you want to play with her?"

Scott was distressed, "She'll think I'm stupid! She won't want to play with me!"

"If she's really your friend, she'll try to play with you. Her family is coming over for dinner tonight. Why don't you try to ask her to hang out on Friday?"

Scott grumbled a yes, wiping his tears off as his brother and friend got into the car. Sara was already in the passenger's seat. Alex talked excitedly about his day in kindergarten and Sara about 5th grade homework and how easy it was for her. Notably, Scott paid no attention to anyone, despite Jean's attempts at getting him involved.

Later that night, at dinner, Scott was just as silent at the dinner table as he was in the car. Katherine, sitting next to him, nudged him and whispered in his ear, "Ask her, honey."

Jean was sitting on Scott's other side. Scott turned to her slowly, chewing on the last piece of potato, swallowed, and asked, "Hey, Jean? Could you hang out with me on Friday."

Jean swallowed a piece of green bean, "I'm hanging out with Annie after school tomorrow, but maybe the day after, on Saturday-"

She never got the chance to finish her sentence. Scott jumped out from the table and ran up the stairs, slamming his door loudly. Jean's eyes filled with tears as she looked around at the parents, "What did I do?"

Katherine smiled at the young girl, "You didn't do anything, Jean. He's just a little upset right now."

"I didn't mean to. I just-Annie invited me to play! I said yes, but I thought maybe we could play on Saturday," Jean was starting to sob.

Elaine sighed and looked at Katherine, "I guess dinner is over?"

"I guess you're right," the other mother sighed as well and helped her husband clear the table.

John stood up and took Sara by the arm, dragging her out of the house. Sara had inherited her mom's nosey quality, as well as her discretion. She knew when she would get good gossip, but John didn't want this to become gossip. Christopher and Katherine disappeared into the kitchen while Alex ran off to play with a couple of toys in the living room.

Jean was crying too hard to hear her mom, so Elaine simply picked her daughter up and carried her home. Scott was crying too, in a corner of his bedroom holding a teddy bear.

**So, what'cha think? I probably could have made it longer if I typed more later, but I really wanted to get to a finishing spot to start another chapter before my next class. Seeing as how it's going to start soon, this is the best I could do. Please review and tell me what you think of this...latest development. :D**


	4. Chapter 4

The tension between the two children continued. Jean did hang out with Annie on Friday, playing with small stuffed animals in the front yard while Scott watched secretly from his window. Tears filled his eyes again as he remembered the conversation he'd had with his mom that had changed everything.

* * *

_FLASHBACK :_

Katherine knocked on Scott's bedroom door and entered a moment later, "Scott?"

A small sniffle sounded from the corner. Katherine turned on his bedroom light and closed the door, deciding that her husband didn't need to be a part of this, "Honey, are you okay?"

Scott peeked his blue eyes up from behind Mr. Piddles and shook his head softly, "Jean hates me."

She smiled at her son, though he didn't see what was so funny, and began to repeat a conversation they'd had earlier, "She doesn't hate you."

He pulled his ruby colored teddy bear down farther, "Yes, she does! She doesn't want to play with me anymore!"

"Yes, she did, baby," Katherine sat down next to her eldest and pulled him into her lap so he could cry into her chest. "Scott, did you ever consider having another friend?"

"But everyone hates me!" the poor kid looked terrified.

"I'm sure they don't. You can still be friends with Jean, but maybe you could have a second friend, or a third or fourth. Jean is still friends with you, but she's also friends with Annie. Making her choose between the two of you really will leave you with no friends. People don't like to be pushed to make hard choices. They have to make them on their own. Understand?"

Scott thought for a while, the digital time on his dinosaur clock changing with his mood, "So if I try to force her to leave Annie, she'll leave me?"

"She could. Would you want a friend who is trying to pull you away from another friend just because you already had plans?"

He looked guilty, "I guess not."

"That's my smart young man. Now, I want you to apologize to Jean as soon as possible. She feels awful about what you did, running out on her like that."

* * *

That is why, on a beautiful Friday afternoon, Scott was watching his former best friend play with her new best friend. Scott was not keen on the apologizing thing, so he'd simply blown up at Jean again earlier that day, causing her to cry, Annie to punch him, and him to lose his only friend.

On the plus side, he was getting a few more smiles and less sneers from the other classmates. Could hope be possible after all?

* * *

"But Annie, he's all alone now!" Jean cried, passing Fluffers the cat over Greeny the frog.

Annie huffed, "My hand hurts from hitting him, I got in trouble for it, and you can't even say thank you."

Jean glared, "I didn't want him hit."

"You were crying!"

"I cry all the time!"

"That's not the point," Annie insisted. "Anyway, have you seen the way Finley was looking at him! That girl is _mean_ and if she gets to him-"

"She won't! Scott's too smart to go to Finley. He hates her more than we do," Jean told her friend.

Annie thought for a moment, "Then we need to do something."

"What? He hates me and hates you even more!"

Annie pouted, "I know. I was just thinking...Daddy was watching a movie last night, I wasn't supposed to watch it, but in the movie, this man has to get this other man to be his friend so that some other man doesn't take other man away from him."

Jean blinked, confused, but nodded, "I think we should just let things go."

Annie had no intention of listening to Jean.

* * *

"OUCH!" Jean cried, holding her hand. "OW! OW! OWWWWW!"

Annie rushed to her friend, "What happened?"

"A BEE! A BEE STUNG ME!" she cried, sobbing from the pain.

Annie looked at Jean's hand and flicked at the stinger, to get it out of the wound, just like her momma had taught her, "See? It's gone!"

Jean fell to her knees and began to wheeze, "Annie?"

Annie's brown eyes filled with tears, "I don't know what to do!"

Her friend looked around frantically. The teacher who was supposed to be outside with them was gone, probably to get coffee or flirt with the secretary. Jean was obviously sick, getting worse by the second, and there was nothing Annie could do. She began to cry with her scared friend.

Kids of all elementary grades had gathered around to watch Jean. Pink splotches began breaking out over her creamy white hand, her hand swelled as did her face and throat tissues, which was making it nearly impossible to breathe.

A small boy hardly anyone recognized broke through the crowd and collapsed near the redhead, his voice wickedly calm in the chaos, "What happened, Annie?"

Annie sniffed, "I don't know! A bee stung her and now she can't breathe!"

Scott knew what was happening. It wasn't supreme intellect for a kindergartner or anything. His mother was also severely allergic to bees, which he had been told was rare, but seeing his best friend having the same reaction, he doubted it.

Scott looked up at one of the fifth graders, "Do you know Sara Grey?"

The little girl nodded.

"This is her sister."

It was a silent command to find her and the girl took off with a couple of friends. He looked to a fourth grade boy, "Can you go find my mo-I mean, Mrs. Summers?"

He nodded and took off by himself, running into the school at break neck speed.

The whole ordeal had taken less than a minute, but Jean was wheezing even harder, and the hives were spreading. Annie grabbed her friend's unharmed hand, "What can I do?"

Scott shook his head, "We'll stay with her."

Annie and Scott shared a look in that moment and forgot about any jealousy and aggression.

Katherine came running out to the playground just as a wide-eyed Sara reached them. Katherine looked around at the other kids, who had gotten closer, "Okay, go back to class. If anyone is still out here in a minute, you'll all get in trouble."

They took off. Mrs. Summers might be nice, but she when she was angry (or in this case, scared), you didn't mess with her.

Sara whimpered, "Jean?"

Jean moaned.

Katherine looked at Sara, "Sara, honey, can you go to the office and tell them that we need an ambulance. It is very important. Tell them there is an allergic reaction here, okay?"

Sara nodded, shot her sister one last scared glance, and took off to the find the office. Katherine looked at her son with pride, "You did good, Scott. Did you take the stinger out?"

Scott shook his head and looked at Annie who whispered, "I did."

"I'm proud of you, too. You both did good, but I need to tell you that this is going to seem a bit scary. Everything will be okay, but you have to do exactly what I tell you to do."

They both nodded.

Sara came back, with Principal Phil Glover in tow. Katherine looked at Phil, "Phil, I will call Mrs. Grey when I get to the hospital. I am going to go with Jean. I'll tell her to come and pick up Sara and Scott, okay?"

Phil nodded, "They said they'll be here in a few minutes."

They could hear the sirens already.

Katherine looked at Sara, "Sara, I need you to take Annie and Scott back to class. Can you do that for me?"

Sara nodded.

"Phil, do you think Mrs. Warner could watch my class for me? We were only going to do worksheet for the rest of the day."

"Julie will have no problem with that, given the situation. She has a daughter too, so I'm sure she'll understand the predicament."

It didn't take a psychologist to see how shaken Phil was. Katherine looked at Scott, knowing if anyone was going to throw a fit, it would be him, "Scott, baby, you need to go in the school. Don't fight with me on this. Mrs. Grey will pick you up later and then she will decide what happens next."

Scott pouted, but then looked at Jean and nodded, taking Annie and Sara's hands and walking inside the school without a sound, but all three watched from the glass doors. An ambulance stopped outside the front of the school and two paramedics sprinted with a gurney to the playground.

Katherine and Phil backed off, letting the two paramedics take over. Jean looked terrified, her small breaths getting even faster. Katherine tried to calm her down, "Jean, it's okay. It's okay, I promise."

Jean scrutinized Katherine, but then gave a slight nod and stopped struggling. They lifted her on the gurney as Katherine and Phil ran along side of it.

One of the paramedics, a nice looking young woman with bottle red hair, not like the little girl sitting in front of her, asked Katherine, "What happened?"

"From what I was told, Jean was stung by a bee on the playground. She's never been stung before so she's never had an allergic reaction to it, but obviously, she's allergic."

The man nodded, "It's not very often we see them this bad, but she'll be fine. Are one of you riding with?"

Katherine nodded, "I will be. I'm a family friend and listed as an emergency contact. I work here."

"As long as your boss okays it, we have no problem with you riding," the woman announced.

Phil nodded, "It's okay with me."

"Back or front, Miss…"

"Mrs. Katherine Summers, and I'd like to ride in the back if that's okay?"

"Probably better for her that way. Climb in."

She did and sat next to Jean, who was freaking out. Katherine smiled at the young girl, "We're going to go to the hospital. I know it's scary, but I'm here. Everything is going to be okay."

The ambulance began to move and the man was the paramedic who was in the back with them, "I have to give her an injection of epinephrine. That's all we'll give her, but a doctor will be there to get her checked out. She's damn lucky that there wasn't more of a waiting time."

"Thank you...Moses," Katherine said, reading his name from his breast pocket.

"It's my job. I'm also going to put her on oxygen, she's wheezing pretty bad, and don't be surprised if the doctor wants to put an I.V. in at the hospital."

Katherine nodded, "Whatever's best for her."

Elaine could shoot her later.

Once they arrived at the hospital, Katherine signed some forms, found out where Jean was, assured the girl that she would be right back, and called Elaine. As expected, it wasn't a pleasant phone call.

"My baby girl is hurt? What happened?"

"She got stung by a bee and happens to be allergic. We called an ambulance and I'm at the hospital with her right now. Before you say anything, I didn't want her going alone. Could you please go and pick up Scott and Sara for me?"

"Okay," Katherine was surprised by the response. "I'll call my husband and let him know what's going on. Would it be alright with you if we just came straight to the hospital. John can always drive you back to school to get your things."

She'd forgotten about that, "That would be great. Thank you. I'm so sorry, Elaine. I didn't know what to do. It's been so long since my last reaction-"

"No, Katherine, thank _you._"

The two women said their goodbyes just in time for the doctor to come out of Jean's room, "She's seems to be responding well. The reaction is stopped, but we're going to keep her on the oxygen and she's hooked to an I.V. to flush her system and keep the meds going."

Katherine nodded, "Thank you. I called her mom and told her what was going on."

The doctor smiled, "So when should we expect the calvary?"

"Not until later tonight, and it will be a rather large one, I'm sure."

The doctor laughed, "Mrs. Summers, you haven't seen anything yet."

She smirked back at the unusually relaxed doctor, "I'd take you on that bet, but I'd rather check on Jean."

The walked into the room and immediately chastised herself for taking so long. Jean was nearly in hysterics, her brown eyes wide with terror.

"Oh, Jeannie, it's okay," she rushed to the girl's side and brushed her fiery hair away from her face.

Her voice, raspy with the reaction and sore just the same, asked, "Where's Momma?"

"Momma's coming, sweetie. She'll bring your daddy, Sara, Scott, and Alex."

Her eyes widened further, making her look like a fish, "Not Scott!"

"Shhh! Sweetheart, he'll be fine. It was he and Annie who saved you, together. He was actually rather worried about you," she giggled. "Jean, he wanted to come with you."

The small girl began to calm down, "Promise?"

"I promise. Now please be quiet, sit still, and let the medicine work."

Jean nodded and did as Mrs. Summers asked. Both fell asleep soon after, exhausted from the excitement.

* * *

The cavalry arrived in full force, though it was quiet. Everyone Katherine had said was going to come, came. Katherine quickly took her curious and squirming three-year-old away from Elaine as the other mother ran toward her daughter on the bed.

"Jean, honey, are you okay?"

Jean's eyes filled with tears again, but she nodded. Elaine kissed her daughter's forehead, trying to cover her own tear filled eyes. John sat on Jean's other side, near the I.V., and whispered something in her ear which dried her tears and made her laugh.

Sara walked over to Katherine's chair and sat in it while Katherine gripped Scott's hand and took him out of the room. John saw them leave and mouthed, "Where?"

Katherine mouthed back, "Cafeteria."

John nodded and put his attention back on his family. Scott looked up at his mom, with eyes that nearly mirrored what Jean's had looked like earlier, "Will she be okay, Mommy?"

Hearing her son call her 'Mommy' again, a rarer achievement than it used to be, made her stop in the middle of the nearly empty hall, kneel down, and cup her oldest's chin with her free hand, "She'll be okay, baby. They're just going to keep her overnight and she'll be back at home tomorrow, though I wouldn't be surprised if she takes tomorrow off of school and takes the weekend to recover."

Scott nodded, "Is she mad at me?"

"Why on Earth would she be mad at you?"

Scott shrugged and they walked off to the cafeteria.

It turns out, Jean did take the rest of the weekend to recover and developed an awful fear of bees, but with both Annie and Scott, both friends themselves, by her side, no bee would dare come near her. Kindergarten finished on a high note, to say the least.

* * *

**Kindergarten is finished and the years keep coming. Any predictions for what is to come? No? Good. ;) Just kidding. Please leave me a review telling me what you think and anything else you want to add.**

**DISCLAIMER : If I offended anyone or caused negative emotions because of the bee incident, I am very sorry. I have never had an allergic reaction to bee stings, though I have had both on separate occasions. I never meant any trouble by it and I hope you'll forgive me.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you to everyone who read the last few chapters to make it to chapter 5. That being said, anyone who knows anything about these character's histories should know what kind of interesting stuff I have in my arsenal to throw at them throughout the coming chapters. With that foreshadowing done, let's get started!**

**WARNING! : **_**There is going to be some graphic violence and gore occurring which could be disturbing to some readers. Reader discretion is advised.**_

* * *

1st grade passed without much incident, though in a child's mind, the scale of the events that did may be different. Scott, Jean, and Annie were a trio of trouble, usually accompanied by some form of punishment and exile from the other classmates.

They paid little attention to the social standings, well into 2nd grade. However, that year, something else began tickling at their senses.

Boys were boys and girls were girls. Attraction began stirring in everyone, though it would take several more years for them to really hit.

Scott began to notice things about his two friends that he would have otherwise not noticed, began to compare the differences between them. It was quite remarkable, a private experiment into the opposite sex.

In 3rd grade, that's when tragedy struck, when nothing else seemed to matter after that, and when the trio was ripped apart into nothing, chaos, and sad normality.

* * *

"Sorry, you guys. My dad's home and if I dare not to listen, I'm going to be skinned alive," Scott told his friends as he ran toward the sound of his mother calling him for dinner.

Jean winced, knowing he spoke the truth, "Good luck!"

All three laughed and Annie and Jean continued to play frisbee, though it wasn't as much fun without three of them. In fact, it was a bit boring.

"Jean! Dinner!"

Jean rolled her eyes at Annie, "I'm going to get skinned alive for the grass stains on my new pants, so I don't care if I'm late to dinner."

Annie giggled, "And I had an early dinner, so I guess I'm fine there."

They continued playing, but both friends began throwing higher, faster, harder, and longer. One of the significant difference Scott had noticed in the two friends was that, while Jean pressed against the rules and occasionally defied them, she also knew when to stop. Annie knew, but Annie didn't care.

It was a frequent speed bump in their games. Jean caught (barely) the frisbee thrown back at her, the blue plastic almost hitting her nose, "Annie, maybe we should stop."

"What are you talking about? This is just getting fun! Throw long!"

A nagging sensation plagued at Jean's stomach and she insisted, "I should probably go home now. My mom will be-"

"Angry anyway! C'mon! Don't be a chicken," Annie teased as she waited, crouched, for her friend to throw the frisbee back.

That's when Jean decided to let her have it. With a grin, she pulled her arm back, along with that sensation, and shouted, "Run for it, Annie!"

Letting it rip, the frisbee sailed high and long, whizzing over the brunette's head and skidding to a stop in the street.

Jean laughed as Annie ran for the frisbee, "How was that?"

Annie ran into the street, "That was-"

The poor girl never even got to finish the sentence.

A black car came speeding around the corner, screeching tires squealing in the cool night air, and hit Annie going nearly triple the speed limit. Time slowed down in Jean's eyes as she saw the tiny body of one of her best friends crack the windshield, sail over the top of the speeding Lincoln, and came tumbling down on the tar with a sickeningly dull thud.

"ANNIE!" Jean screamed as she ran toward her friend, not even aware she had screamed. The frisbee lay broken and run over half a dozen feet away, but it was forgotten.

Annie's clothing seemed to be bleeding, the pavement quickly becoming covered by the red liquid. Jean had never been sick over the sight of blood, so it didn't bother her. Ironically, it was her bleeding friend who had always had the aversion.

"Annie?" Jean whispered, a question there was no meaning to.

Annie let out a small sound which Jean assumed was a cough. Jean picked up her friend and tried to hold her, thinking it would comfort her friend. Years later she would learn how much more damage she could have done with that small action.

However, more damage was nothing to the two little girls. Her small body was contorted in all sorts of directions the bones weren't meant to go. It was obvious to both that little Annie was going to die.

As Jean's heart sank and stomach filled with non-existent cement, her sight changed. No longer was she seeing or holding Annie. She was sitting in front of her, both of their legs crossed, like they were discussing butterflies on a Sunday afternoon.

Annie, her body like it had been minutes before, smiled at Jean, "Hi!"

Jean looked around, "Hi. What is this?"

Annie shrugged, "I dunno, but it's weird, huh?"

Jean nodded.

They talked for a little bit, but then the glow that seemed to surround Annie began fading more and more. Finally, Annie stood and dragged her friend with her, "Jean, you have to go."

"Go? Where?"

"I don't know, but away from here. I'm fading away, and if you're here when I do, you'll come with me," Annie insisted.

Jean laughed, "But I want to come with you, silly. We're friends."

Annie's face grew sad, "You can't come. I have to go alone."

"What do you mean? Of course I can come!"

"No, Jean. You have to stay here. I'm fading and you're still whole."

Jean held her chin up high, "Then I'll just have to stop you from fading."

Jean concentrated hard and Annie's glow began to get brighter again, but Annie screamed, "JEAN! STOP IT!"

"What? I'm fixing you!"

"No! Look at yourself. You're fading."

Jean gasped as she looked at her arm. In trying to fix Annie, she had begun to fade too. Tears crawling down her face, she asked, "What can I do, Annie? What can I do?"

"You can't. Just go find my momma. Tell her I'm sorry I didn't listen to her."

Jean nodded, hugged her friend with time she didn't have, and let her go, watching Annie fade away.

Jean was abruptly shoved into reality, which was far worse. Jean could barely open her eyes from exhaustion, but she could hear perfectly fine.

"Where is that goddamn ambulance?" John Grey shouted.

Jean was afraid because she never heard her father swear. He held a strict code of conduct around children.

"Katherine's on the phone with 911 right now, John," Christopher Summers assured him, sounding more shaken than frantic.

"Keep the kids away from here," a tearful Elaine said. "They don't need to see this."

"Shit! Annie's chest isn't moving!" Thomas Richardson, Annie's dad, shouted.

"ANNIE!" Marcia Richardson, Annie's mom, cried.

"Don't touch her, Marcia!" Elaine shouted.

Jean still couldn't open her eyes, she really just wanted to sleep, so tried to say instead, "It's okay, Momma. She said she's okay, but she's sorry. I'm sorry too. We shouldn't have been playing."

Elaine screamed, loud and terrified. Only years later would she be told that she had actually spoken into her mother's thoughts, not through her voice.

Jean let the darkness take her.

* * *

When she woke up, it was loud. It went from nearly pure silence to extremely loud talking. It hurt!

She screamed, "Stop it! Just be quiet! Please!"

"Jean?" her father's voice sounded so far away. "Jean, honey, no one is talking!"

She opened her eyes and looked at her father, "Yes, they are! They're so loud! Make them be quiet, Daddy!"

He felt absolutely helpless. His Jean, his youngest, his angel, was in absolute hysterics and he couldn't do a damned thing to stop it. She passed out again and John tried to cover her up in the blankets, to make it look like she was sleeping.

"Dr. Grey? Is she awake?"

John thought for a moment then replied, "No. Sorry. The television was just super loud."

"Well, try to keep it down. People were complaining."

John put his head in his hands and cried. Part of it was relief that it wasn't his daughter on a slab in the morgue downstairs. Part of it was anguish over the fact that he had no idea what was going on with her. Every time she woke, she screamed of voices and making it stop.

Later that day, he was called out into the hall with his newly arrived wife, "John, Elaine, you can take Jean home now. I know she's having some trouble, but it could simply be PTSD. I would encourage you to see a psychiatrist or a specialist for her as soon as possible."

They shared a look, wondering what could be in store for them now.

* * *

Annie's funeral was held the following Saturday. Everyone in the neighborhood and surrounding areas, not to mention those who knew the Richardson's from the outside, were there. The Summers went, but the Greys stayed home.

They had talked to the Richardson's the day before and Marcia had okayed it, though Thomas was still angry, and Marcia blamed it on his baby girl, his only child, being gone. They couldn't go anywhere and wouldn't with Jean being like she was. She didn't scream as often about the voices and even moved around, but she usually just sat in a chair or in her bed and stared.

She was catatonic. It scared the hell out of her parents, who had already seen five doctors about her, and it made Sara a little put out, though she still understood that her baby sister hadn't wanted this. Jean was indifferent, unaware of the happenings of the rest of the world.

Jean was pulled from school rather quickly, even though there were only a couple of months left before the end of the school year. They saw more doctors and each said the same. An institution was the only thing that could potentially help her, though it was more to take the burden from the family.

Elaine was adamant. She wasn't going to put one of her daughters in an asylum. She'd heard the stories of what happened in those places. One had been on the news just three days before, for Christ's sake! She simply kept Jean home and they kept seeing doctors.

Scott was getting mad. He'd only had two friends. Now one of them was dead and the other wasn't allowed to see anyone, and the details of her were kept hush. Scott might have been young but he wasn't stupid. He wanted to see Jean.

Every night he waited by his window with a flashlight, morsing messages in the hope that she might see it and respond. She never did.

Finally, when he was about to begin 4th grade, he was given a shock. Jean was moving away!

Even more shocking, her family wasn't going with her. She was being sent away.

For the eighteenth doctor she had seen, it had been a friend of John's named Charles Francis Xavier. It had taken him but a few moment alone with the girl to determine what was wrong with her. He explained to Elaine and John, with Sara gone for the moment, that their youngest was telepathic and telekinetic. She was a mutant.

It had taken considerably longer to convince them that he wasn't joking and that he could help. Finally, they settled on sending Jean to his estate in Westchester, figuring that the very least that a change in scenery might help.

Chris and Katherine went over to have a talk with Elaine and John about Jean, and how hard it was to send her away. However, the Summers were the ones sent away irritated, not able to get much information on little Miss Grey. The two families began to keep their distance, at least until Jean was sent away one week in the middle of the night. After that, everything seemed to go back to normal.

No one paid much thought to a clinically insane little girl and the boy who missed her terribly.

* * *

**Some people are addicted to caffeine, others sugar, and more with drugs. I'm addicted to reviews, and I'm going into withdrawal. Send me some please!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you so much for the reviews last chapter. They were extremely appreciated.**

Scott walked in through the doors of the elementary school he'd started at minus the friend he'd started with. Everyone thought he'd forgotten about Jean, or at least that he was going to be just fine this year.

Scott disagreed.

Jean was his best friend, partner in crime, confidant. How was he supposed to make it through an entire year in a class filled with people who hate him? Surely Jean's problem couldn't be this bad!

Another problem with this school year was that he was going to be a student in his mother's class. Oh, he could hear the insults now. Katherine dropped off her coat and materials, smiled at her nervous son, and left to get some coffee from the conference room. He wrinkled his nose. He hated coffee.

That thought made him smile. Jean had hated coffee too. The smell was enjoyable when it wasn't too bitter, but the taste made her gag. Neither could see how anyone could enjoy the drink. He missed those times. It had been a boring summer.

It wasn't just Jean he missed though. He still missed Annie, and was grieving her loss still, but her loss didn't hit him as hard. Death was final, an end. There was no fixing or getting around death. He wouldn't see Annie again until he died himself, and he knew Annie wouldn't hate him for not wanting to die yet.

Jean was different. She wasn't dead, but apparently, he gritted his teeth, she wasn't okay either. Not all there. He still ached to know the details of what was wrong, but knew if he pressed, he'd be pushed even farther back than where he had intended to go.

Besides, he had no doubt he would be seeing Jean again someday before were just too close.

The other classmates started arriving and shot him wary looks. Of course. He was the friend of a dead girl and the mysterious crazy girl. He was the only friend to come out okay. That made him suspicious.

Scott groaned softly and put his head in his arms. This was going to be awful.

It was made even worse when Katherine came back in the room with Principal Phil Glover. His stomach dropped, even further when the door closed behind the man.

Katherine sat down in her chair while Phil stood at the front of the room, "I know that this year is not going to be easy for any of you. We are a small school, an academic family. It is never easy for a family to bear the loss of someone they loved.

Scott scrunched his blue eyes closed, wishing it to be over.

"Annie Richardson will be missed. Her death was a tragedy and I'm sure we'll all miss her very much this coming year."

Scott mentally snorted. They hadn't liked Annie anymore than they'd like him or Jean, which made his next comment hit even harder.

"Another student will not be back with us this year, but with a little hope, well wishes, and prayer, Jean Grey will be able to return to our family just as she left. I know lacking these two students will not be easy, but I'm hoping with a little unity, we can all push through it. Now, before I leave, I am aware that many of you grew up in the same neighborhood as those two girls. Would any of you like to share some memories that you had?"

Silence filled the room. Of course they wouldn't have any memories of them that were appropriate to say! Scott was the only one with memories, and he wasn't going to give them the pleasure.

Phil shot a desperate look at Katherine who simply shook her head. With a sigh, he departed.

Katherine stood, "As Principal Glover said, it will be difficult, but I'm sure everything will be okay in the end. That being said, what do you say we get some of this catch-up stuff from last year out of the way so we can press on."

There were affirmative murmurs throughout the room. No one wanted to talk anymore with that announcement still plaguing at them. They all wondered why the school had thought to make an announcement this far after the fact.

But Katherine knew why. Somewhere in their minds, they wondered if her son could have anything to do with the deaths, so they were addressing it to get it out of the way, announcing to him that they hadn't forgotten.

The rationality and logic of people never ceased to amaze the woman.

* * *

"Do you want to try a pencil or a salt shaker this time?"

Jean groaned, "I won't be able to lift it."

"Not with that attitude. Now, young lady, I believe in you," Charles Xavier smiled at her. "I've already blocked off half of the problem, so there's less to worry about right now. Can you please try to work with me?"

She knew what her answer would have to be. She didn't want to be sent away, now that she could think again. It was awful before. Like thinking without being able to think. A painful and disturbing contradiction inside her mind.

Charles, or Professor Xavier as she called him, had immediately tried to find a way inside of her mind and built a set of seven mental blocks around her telepathy to hold it in until she was mature enough to use it properly. For right now, telekinesis was where they were going to focus.

Jean nodded and replied, "The pencil."

He smiled and sat back in his wheelchair to observe the young girl, both mentally and physically, and see if he could spot the changes in progress. His paralysis, with the obvious show of it being the wheelchair, had been a change in sight Jean had adjusted to rather quickly. She was accepting and was bold, but intelligent, about asking questions.

She made him smile frequently, her ambition to know doing more for persuasion than any other argument on his end ever could. She tried and tried to use her telekinesis until it nearly made her pass out from exhaustion, partly from frustration over her lack of control, partly over a need to understand how to control it, so as to understand the limits of it.

A rather intellectual philosophy from a 4th grader.

That was another thing in her life which had changed dramatically. She was being school by Charles at his Institute instead of going to a real school, which was not deemed safe yet by the older man. She called her family every night to give progress reports, but never stayed on the line for very long as she was frequently exhausted. Having a significant mutation could be tiring.

Most of all, her reason for staying off of the line, which only her sister had figured out but had the grace not to say anything, was for fear of running into Scott. She didn't know if her family still talked to the Summers and didn't want to know. Not only did thinking about Scott bring up guilt over not being able to tell him, but and incredible sadness.

She knew he was alone at school, but also knew that he would eventually make a lot of friends. She also knew that she never would. Jean was friendly, but with her tarnished reputation and lust for knowledge, it made a personality at her age that only someone as close to her as Scott could enjoy, once they got past the off putting parts.

Jean knew one of these days, her mother or father, probably mother, was going to ask if she had talked to Scott and she would have to fess up. She didn't want to talk to him.

She was a freak, like one of those witches or monsters from the horror movies they used to watch when their parents left the room. Scott liked Jean, but he liked the old Jean. She didn't want to know what he would think of the new Jean.

She either had to hide it and lie to him, which she knew her mother would prefer, or she could tell the truth and potentially lose the only friend she really had, which her conscience would prefer.

Decisions, decisions.

Right now, though, she had to concentrate on something else entirely.

How to levitate, not grab and throw, the pencil in front of her face. Grabbing and throwing was easy and she had mastered that the first week, though destination and force still needed work.

However, instead of that, Charles wanted for the moment to focus on the smaller things, thinking that if those were controlled, since they were more difficult, the others would be as well. It was his first time teaching a student how to control their mutations, and it scared him. If he messed up, she would have to pay the consequences. He didn't want that. He loved her like a niece, sometimes a daughter.

So on a Monday in late August, Jean was holding her hands in front of her, outstretched at a lone, unsharpened pencil on the desk, concentrating with all of her might to move it up slowly, centimeter by centimeter.

Five months later, and many granite filled slaps in the face, she would get it with whoops of joy and happy tears.

Scott, in five months, would have a set of new friends, all being the old ones who had hated him.

Jean never called Scott.

**A shorter chapter than the last one, but this one is more of my normal size. I didn't have a better place to cut off or I would have extended it. Please review!**


	7. Chapter 7

"-told her I couldn't help her. She's dumb as a post, you know?" Scott told Clyde, his best friend.

Clyde hadn't heard him thought, "Dude, aren't those your parents talking to the Greys?"

Scott looked, mouth opened to tell him that they're neighbors and they talk quite a bit, Clyde should know that, when something struck him as strange, "Yeah...something's weird."

Clyde nodded toward the gathered crowd, "Go check it out, man. I'll just go home, but I expect a full report."

That was one thing about Clyde. He didn't pry.

"You'll get one."

Clyde walked home down the opposite street and turned a corner while Scott crossed and walked to the Greys. His mom saw him approaching and smiled, "Hi, Scott."

"Hi," Scott looked on warily. "What's going on?"

"Scott?"

The voice was familiar, but not. It was a girl's, but he couldn't place it. He found out who it belonged to pretty quick when he turned around, "Jean?"

"I think we need to show John and Elaine that new thing...in the room…" Chris started.

Katherine caught on, "Yes, you must see it."

Taking the hint, the set of parents walked out, leaving the Grey household to the two old friends.

A pretty redhead smiled at Scott and he frowned, "Are you sure you're Jean?"

She laughed, "Of course I am, silly."

"I mean, you just look-"

"Different? I know, but you do to. Who knew you would grow up to be sort of...good looking?"

Scott heard the teasing tone in her voice, but old resentment bubbled up before his old playful nature, "Well, it's a little hard to remember someone when you don't hear a damn word from them in five years."

Her brown eyes grew sad, "Can we hold this conversation inside?"

Hearing a distant clap of thunder, Scott reluctantly agreed and they walked inside.

In truth, Scott was stunned. It was almost as if nothing had happened. She was the same happy person, albeit cloaked in distant nervousness, and she was...pretty. If he said anymore, he would be required to beat his head in later.

She reached in the refrigerator and pulled out a can of Pepsi, "Ugh. I always preferred Coke, but my mom and sister like Pepsi. My dad is like me, but I think they pulled rank while I was gone. Do you want one?"

"Sure," he'd almost smiled at her friendly tone, but refrained. He wanted to know what the hell had happened to her.

A secretive smirk hit her lips which made him a bit suspicious, but before he could think much on it, she asked, "Would you like to hear a story?"

"Only if it's about you and what happened that day."

"Oh, it is, but in exchange, you owe me an explanation of your own."

Scott was about to tell her he didn't owe her a damned thing for all of the hell he went through, but instead replied that he would. Jean was a difficult girl to say no to, enhanced even more now by her looks and past relation to him, "Great! Okay, let's start with that night."

She explained that seeing Annie killed had absolutely traumatized her. Everywhere she looked, she had seen Annie's body hitting the car and the pavement. To escape it, she had fallen catatonic, which shut her mind off from everything.

She had been sent away to a psychiatrist, a friend of her father's, in Westchester to figure out how to bring her back. Now she was okay, and half way through the spring semester, she was ready to enter her freshman year of high school.

Scott looked down at his unopened can of soda, "Why couldn't...I mean, if you're like this now, there had to have been some point where you could have…"

Jean grabbed his hand, "I'm so sorry. When I finally came to, it wasn't safe for me to talk to anyone. Even my family was a risk, and I couldn't even do that in person. I wanted to talk to you, to tell you I cared, but I just couldn't. Finally when it was safe, too much time had passed. I didn't know if you hated me, which I couldn't blame you for. I'm so terribly sorry, Slim."

Despite himself, he smiled sadly at the old nickname, "It's okay, Red."

"Really?" she perked up.

"I mean, I'm still a little pissed off, but you've always been hard to hold a grudge against."

She squealed happily and hugged him. After a moment's hesitation at her boldness, he hugged her back. It was different than it used to be, but it was a good different.

"Now, tell me about school. Is everyone still...mean?"

Scott shook his head, "Nah. Not to me anymore, at least. After about six months, Finley Fraser, you remember her, came over to talk to me and everyone seemed to follow."

Her face grew a bit sad, though she didn't know it and was obviously trying to cover it up (and failing), "That's great!"

"Hey!" he put his arm around her shoulders. "Don't go get all sad on me. I told you I forgive you and I mean it. We might not be best friends anymore, but I'll stand by you. Who knows? We might be best friends again."

She looked him over, evaluating him, "Not a chance, Slim-boy."

"Why not?"

She smirked, "'Cause the way I hear it, most teenage boys don't like it when a girl can kick their asses."

"You think you can," he teased.

"Duh," she tossed her fiery hair over her shoulder. "You couldn't handle me."

They talked the night away.

* * *

A week later, Jean was all ready to go back to school. Scott was going to accompany her and get her settled, an offer he made after seeing her face after it was announced she was going to have to actually go back...alone. Sara was the one moving away now, but for a different reason. She was enrolling in college a year early and loving it.

Scott walked with Jean into school and helped her find her locker, talking about friendly nothings to keep her calm. Scott had gone home after Jean's explanation last night and something had plagued at him. She was hiding something, something big, and not telling.

That bothered him.

Hadn't they been best friends? He'd knew he'd said the night before that they wouldn't be best friends again, but she could still trust him, right?

He didn't know that she now put him in the same crowd as her other previous bullies. He was no longer Slim or Scotty. He was Scott.

"Hey, Scott! Did you hear about-who's this?"

Clyde cast a glance to Jean as she was putting her stuff in her locker.

Scott poked Jean playfully, "This is Jean. Remember, Jean Grey? She's back from her long vacation."

Clyde looked at her skeptically for a moment before shrugging and smiling at her, "Welcome to Hell High!"

Jean giggled and then said sarcastically, "For some strange reason, that doesn't sound all that welcoming."

He winked, "Couldn't imagine what it could be."

She'd giggled again.

It turns out, every class Jean had at least had Scott or Clyde in it, sometimes both. It made the transition a bit easier.

What it didn't really make easier were the not-so-quiet whispers and stares she received while writing down notes or talking with the teacher about what she'd missed and would have to make up in every class. She'd already discussed this problem with Charles before she'd left. Jean would just have to smile and bear it, and ignore the buzz of minds growing in her head. She knew the calming exercises, and the school was well prepared for any...spells that might occur, though the truthful details were still fuzzy.

When lunch came around, Scott joined her in walking through the lunch line, giving her helpful advice on what was actually edible and what the school claimed was, and brought her to his table. His "table" was actually 3 tables pushed together the long way to make a large dining table for all of their friends, and anyone else who wanted to join. Jean learned rather quickly that Scott and Clyde were popular, though they didn't act like it.

"Everyone, this is Jean Grey," Clyde introduced her, while Scott tried to swallow his, um, "pizza".

Jean waved and dug into her wilted salad. Finley and Selina narrowed their eyes at her, which all of the girls at the table, and some who weren't, tensely watched. Finley and Selina were the two most popular freshman girls. Who they liked was liked, and who wasn't wasn't. What they said was word among freshmen. Or, so they thought.

"So, Jean," Selina drew out her name with a slight air of disgust. "What brought you back here?"

Jean swallowed a spinach leaf, "A car."

One of the girls, Betty, snorted her milk and began to choke as others fought a chuckle or two. Selina glared even harder, "I mean, what made you come back?"

Jean had another retort, but thought better of it. Obviously, sarcasm was only okay when she used it, "A year and a half ago, I was diagnosed as okay, but my parents left the decision of my health up to me. I thought it would be better if I waited a bit longer and made sure I was fine. It soon became clear to me that I was and my mother demanded I come home. I didn't want to though. It was nice there."

"Did you have any friends there?" a boy with a bad attitude no one knew the name of spoke up.

Jean laughed, "Not like you think. There were other kids there with other traumatic problems, another girl and two boys. We grew close and we worked together to get better."

Anger filled Scott, "You never said anything about having friends there."

A couple of the boys did little 'ooo's while someone shouted, "Someone's jealous."

Jean blushed, "I'm sorry. They really didn't want me talking about them, we liked privacy, and I knew if I told you, I would have to tell them more."

Clyde clapped Scott on the back, "C'mon, Man. Let it go. She didn't mean any harm, did you, Jean?"

Jean shook her head vigorously.

Scott snorted, "You never do, do you?"

Scott stood and took his tray with him. Clyde grinned at Jean, "Don't mind him. He's a Negative Nick, that one. He'll get over it. Hell, he made friends while you were gone! You aren't allowed?"

Agreements rose up from around the table and Jean found herself being transported into having allies. Of course, not like the ones she left behind, but it was something.

Finley and Selina never did end up liking her.

Later that night, Jean knocked on the Summers' door, "Hi, Mrs. Summers! Can I talk to Scott, please?"

Katherine smiled, "Just go on up to his room. I'm sure you remember the way. He's being a bit difficult this afternoon. Any idea why?"

"Tons," she mumbled. "I messed up."

She explained the situation and Katherine nodded, "Well, I do think you should have told him, especially when practically demanding yourself that you wanted to know his friends, but I see why you did it. It was different situation. Maybe you could explain that to him?"

Jean nodded, "Thanks, Mrs. Summers."

"Anytime, Jean."

Jean retraced the old pathway up to Scott's room and knocked on the door, which had been decorated on the outside with his name and a 'Keep Out' sign. _How original._

"Come in."

The inside of his room was a bit better, having been changed from a light blue to a dark blue, almost black, color. Hanging on the walls were a bulletin board covered in pictures of family and friends, as well as postcards and a recent invitation. An airplane calendar hung next to it and scattered throughout the surfaces were posters of his favorite music groups, one of Alaskan mountains, and many of different aircraft. _Once an Air Force brat…_

His desk was organized with books, notebooks, a computer, and an old cup of...was that coffee? She nearly laughed. The floor was for the most part clear, but there were still piles of old clothing and scattered items. Organized chaos at its finest.

Scott was sitting on his bed, pretending to be reading an English text, though he was thinking more than anything. That all stopped when he saw who was in the doorway, "Did you come up here by yourself or did my mom let you up?"

"The second one."

He swore, "Well, since you're here, would you like a seat?"

"Can you find one?"

Scott barely suppressed a smile, "Don't push me, Jean. I'm not happy."

"I can tell," she sighed, shutting the door and leaning against it on the part that wasn't covered by a dartboard. "Look. I'm sorry. I should have told you and I apologize for not. It was stupid, but I felt they deserved it."

Scott rubbed his eyes, "Why didn't you just tell me?"

"What did you want me to say?"

"How about the truth? You're hiding things from me, Red, and I don't appreciate it."

"Fine. Are you sure you want the truth? It's...freaky."

Scott thought for a moment, "Yes. I can take it."

She nodded, "You have to promise me. Promise me on our old friendship that you won't tell a soul. Not even your family. I'll tell you the real reason I was sent there and that should explain enough."

"Deal," he replied.

She took a deep breath and focused on a stack of textbooks sitting on his desk chair, though he had no idea what she would need to for. That is, until the stack of books slowly and rather waveringly levitated, turned over to stand like they would on a bookshelf, which is exactly where Jean put them.

She let out a breath she had been holding, against Charles' wishes, as she finished, '"I can also read minds if I do it right, but I'm not as experienced with that yet. There's all kinds of walls in my mind to stop it, so they're only a buzz when I'm around people. I, uh, don't do well in crowds."

Jean had to admit, Scott looked rather cute with his mouth hanging open and his eyes wide. After minute of staring at her like that, he shook his head and then continued to stare, "So you mean to tell me, that you can pick things up with your mind while you're reading someone elses?"

"Not quite. I'm not that powerful, at least not yet. That's why I was sent away. It's a genetic mutation which spawned early with Annie's death. That's why I went crazy. I could suddenly hear everything while feeling the molecular composition of every object in the room. It was a bit hard to handle," Jean joked.

Scott thought again for a bit and then stood, walked over to her, and took her in his arms in a big hug, "Thank you for telling me."

"Wait! You don't think I'm a monster?" she asked, pulling back.

He playfully poked her nose, "No more than I already did, Red. You're freaky when you want to be."

She laughed and hugged him back.

They were friends again.

**Yay! They're friends again. I'm sorry to say that I'm not a nice person and the road will not be easy for them. However, I would appreciate if you, dear reader, were a nice person and left me a review. ^_^**


	8. Chapter 8

High school was difficult, but Jean wished for anyone to show her a high school that _wasn't_ difficult. She knew it didn't exist.

The homework was easy, fun even, since her studies with Charles has excelled. She was even a few years ahead, though she would never reveal that. Much easier to ride it all out as to make her life easier and study more in private than to push that which was unnecessary.

Speaking of pushing, Scott had taken the news of her...abilities well. She thought he was doing well, at least. He was paranoid of her at first, but warmed up to her, once he was sure she wasn't digging around in his thoughts. She frequently assured him that she wasn't.

Most of Scott's friends had taken to Jean well, seeing her as a sort of friendly pet always connected to him. Yeah, they were still mean.

There were a few exceptions to that, on both sides of the friendliness meter. Clyde was the one on the good side. He had developed something of a crush on the redhead, much to Finley's dismay. Of course, it also irritated Selina, since they were best friends. They were on the mean side, and had a goal on constantly making Jean's life hell.

The only problem in their plan was that Jean wasn't letting them. It always seemed to work out just so, always in Jean's favor.

It was no secret among the students at Waterhill High that the two girls hated Jean, but it provided some entertainment, and someone else to have their scorn directed upon. However, there were also moments that got to Scott's head and he began to hate on her as well. His were a bit more cutting, since he knew just how to get to her.

Junior year ended that all.

Scott and Jean were eating ice cream at a local hang out when Scott offhandedly called Jean a freak. She'd had enough.

"Why the hell are you still here if you think I'm such a freak?" she demanded. "I didn't choose this you daft son of a cockroach!"

Scott rolled his eyes, "You need better insults, and you need to chill. Besides, you shouldn't take it so personally. You're the one who can read minds and move shit with your thoughts. Don't you think that's a little freaky?"

She pointed a finger at him, "If I wanted to, I could do a hell of a lot more to you then pick up your books and put them away. Don't tempt me, Scott. You know my temper."

"Are you threatening me?"

He stood over her, showing his muscles from years of basketball. He was the star player and had the body to show for it. When Scott directed that, along with his budding irritation, at Jean, it scared the hell out of her.

"Are _you _threatening _me?_" she asked him.

"Don't turn this on me! I asked you a question and I expect an answer!"

She glared, "Why? Because you're Scott Summers, all star basketball play, A-student, son of an Air Force major, and can do no fucking wrong? Just because you think, I repeat, you _think_ you're all that, you can just call me, who is actually innocent in this, a freak and all of the other names you've been calling me these days. You're not worth this. I'm out of here."

He laughed harshly, "You won't survive a week in this school without me."

Jean froze on her way out and thought for a moment before turning around, "You're wrong. You know why?"

He crossed his arms and rolled his eyes again, "I have a feeling you're gonna tell me."

She ignored him, "Because you're used to being at the top. You don't remember what it feels like to be excluded, to sit on the outside looking in. You've lost that, even though you don't think you have, and in losing that you also lost the only piece of yourself that was worth knowing. Arrogance is a bad look for you, Scott. Cruelty is even worse."

She walked off, not even listening to the painfully stupid insults he was throwing at her back. Tears filled her vision as she realized that when she lost Annie, she also lost Scott.

Jean knew Scott would go to one of his friend's houses before coming home, so she went to the Summers' house, wanting to talk to Katherine.

"Jean! What a surprise! I thought Scott was with yo-what happened, honey? Why are you crying?"

Sobs tried to crawl up her throat, but she pushed them down for the moment, "Are Mr. Summers or Alex home?"

Katherine shook her head, "No, it's just me, for once. Did something happen to Scott?"

"Not in the way you're thinking," she shuffled her feet. "Mrs. Summers, you offered once to let me talk to you about anything since my mom is...a little hard to converse with."

Katherine chuckled sadly and opened the door wider for her, "Come on in, Jean. Would you like something to drink?"

"Water, please," she said, sitting at the counter. Getting two glasses of water, Katherine nodded to her office, "Let's go in here. We won't be bothered if anyone comes home early."

Jean nodded and followed, "Mrs. Summers...how easy are you to...judge someone based on what they can do, not who they are?"

"Well, I've always tried to understand someone's situation before judging them, since I'm not them, obviously, I'm me. I find it's a bit harder to understand someone unless you're in a situation similar to theirs, but from years of trying, I think I've gotten pretty good at it," Katherine smiled gloomily. "That's one trait I'm sorry to say that my oldest has essentially ignored. Alex seems to be pretty good with it though. Why do you ask?"

Jean burst into tears and explained everything. Everything. She told all about Annie's death, the emergence of her mutation, being catatonic, Westchester and her friends, and coming back home. Most of all, she talked about Scott and how much he'd changed.

Halfway through her speech, Katherine had come over and held her as she cried. Elaine would never have done such a thing, but Katherine did. When Jean finished, Katherine looked her straight in the face and asked her, "Would you ever hurt someone, on purpose, with your...telekinesis if it wasn't in self-defense or in defense of someone you loved?"

Jean sniffed, "Of course not!"

"Would you read someone's mind to get the right answer on a test or find their deepest secrets to exploit?"

"NO!"

Katherine smiled, "Good. Then I have no problem with your...mutations, did you call them?"

Jean smiled, truly smiled, "Yep. Apparently I was born with this. It was supposed to emerge, well, a couple years ago, but Annie's death sort of sparked it."

Katherine nodded, "Understandable, I guess. Now, onto my other point, Jean, I never raised my son to be mean to people, but it's his choice. Puberty is a hard place, and being a teenager is a hard age. People expect you to be responsible, but insist you never will be."

"I know, but...the Scott I know wouldn't do this!" she insisted.

"That's probably because he's not the Scott you know, at least, not right now," Katherine grinned. "He'll be back eventually, and he'll realize what he has done. Knowing him, he'll feel absolutely awful about it, but for right now, he's trying to survive. Having you on his arm is like swimming across the ocean with a weight on. It's a hard battle to win alone, but with you-"

"I'm making it impossible," Jean answered.

"In a manner, yes. You're a nice girl, incredibly bright, have a wicked personality and a killer body, but sadly, only one of those will matter and the others erase that one in the eyes of these kids."

Jean blew air out of her lips while thinking, "Should I just throw all of that away? Become like them?"

"No, no! Not at all. I think you should detach yourself from Scott, find your way through school, and live. He's made his intentions pretty clear in that he doesn't want to be your friend anymore."

"I know. I just hoped that maybe, when I got back, he would still be the same friend I'd had before everything changed," she admitted.

"But everything did change, and that's the hardest part. What you all had before Annie's death was great, but it's not the same, even though you're trying to get back to it. Leave the past behind, Jeannie girl, and go for tomorrow."

Jean's eyes narrowed, "Did you get that out of a fortune cookie?"

Katherine smirked and held up a broken cookie, "I might have."

They laughed, tears forgotten.

When they finally emerged from the office, Scott was just coming in the door. His eyes narrowed at Jean, "What are you doing here?"

Jean looked back at Katherine who nodded with a smile. Jean turned her smile to Scott and replied, "Visiting."

She walked out the door.

Scott glanced at his mom, "What was that about?"

Katherine ruffled his hair, "Sorry, kiddo. Girl's code of silence."

"Which code is that?"

"Oh, I think this edition can be found under 'Familial Advice', volume 102, chapter 56, section 13, roman numeral LXXII, subsection bb, abridged edition," she replied, laughing her way into the kitchen.

Chris, just coming in with Alex, just shook his head, "Don't even try, son. Women are crossword puzzles written in a dead language...trapped in a rubix cube in colors only they know the differences in."

Katherine's laughter sounded again from the kitchen, "Maybe if you would have listened when I explained the difference between eggshell, beige, and off white, you wouldn't be saying that."

Chris just rolled his eyes toward his sons and shrugged. Scott shook his head with a grin.

"Hey, if you think having me is bad, think about John Grey," Katherine shouted while stirring mashed potatoes. "He has three girls to deal with."

The three men in the living room cringed.

* * *

**Yeaaaaaaah...not my best chapter, but hopefully the next one will be a bit better? Hopefully? I wrote this (posted it much later) when I should have been working on a report on gun control, so don't completely blame me if it sucks. ;) Just kidding. I deserve it.**


	9. Chapter 9

Jean plummeted on the social ladder at school, though it's not like much was holding her near the top to begin with. When Scott turned his back on Jean publicly, so did everyone else she had come to know at the high school. However, Jean had a few things going for her.

The first was that talk she'd had with Katherine. It made the turnout not hurt as much. It's not as if she hadn't expected it and Katherine had made it clear that she was always there if Jean needed her. A family away from family.

Jean still had a couple friends though. One was new and blue, and the other was old and borrowed. Well, more like taken, but the comparison to the old wedding rhyme had made Jean smile.

Karen Andrews was Jean's new friend, and a very good one at that. She was a bit wild with bright blue hair and eyes, but also a bit prejudiced, so Jean didn't feel like telling her about her...situation would be the best idea. It was bad enough that she had told Scott!

The other was Clyde. He had followed her down the ladder, appalled at what he had just been prepared to do just so he could fit in. Clyde had figured out what Scott hadn't. Still, just like Karen, Clyde was a bit prejudiced, probably based on the lifestyle they lead.

Having those two friends was great, but she still found it difficult to live her life the way she wanted. Clyde had expressed interest in her she knew she wouldn't be able to reciprocate. So, after junior year, Jean went back to Westchester.

Scott had laughed in his room when he saw Jean packing up her car to make the drive back to the Freak Institute she belonged to, but a growing guilty part in the back of his mind told him he was being an ass.

He ignored it.

Jean had talked with Karen and Clyde for months before hand, mildly explaining the situation and how she had to go back to Westchester for some extra help. Clyde had taken it hard, realizing that he had taken a risk and it had failed, and now he had to survive high school without his previous status, but Karen had taken it well, promising to keep in touch.

It was overall a nice departure.

Jean's welcome back to the Institute was warm. Jean had given Ororo Munroe the hug of a lifetime, missing her best girl friend more than anything. They had a connection not unlike that of close sisters, but the difference between them physically was remarkable.

Ororo was a gorgeous Kenyan woman with long, naturally straight and white hair and blue eyes three shades lighter than Scott's. She talked with a light accent and textbook English, but it got the conversation done. She moved with the grace of the winds she controlled and had a temper to match the storm. That's right. The woman controlled the freaking weather, to put it in simple terms.

Charles had been the next to welcome her back with a kiss on the cheek and knowing smile.

Following him had been the truly intimidating Dr. Henry McCoy, nicknamed the Beast. He had a large size, not unlike that of a more humanized gorilla, but was also covered in blue fur, yellow eyes, and pointed canines. His personality was completely contrasting to his appearance, given he had the intellect of, simply put, a genius and a gentleness to match.

Jean looked around curiously, expecting to see the third member of her friendly party, "Where's Evan?"

Everyone looked away from her as Charles began to explain, "Evan...was taken back by his family. They finally realized what I told them was true and that there was no cure for what happened to him. They decided that if there was nothing they could do, they weren't going to try anymore. When they brought him back home, they told him they had something to show him out in the barn where...they murdered him."

Jean gasped, eyes filling with tears, "What? Why didn't anyone call me?"

"Because we knew it would be hard on you. We didn't want to give you any cause to come back here before you felt you needed to," Charles explained.

"But he was still my friend! Couldn't you have told me at all! Coming back here be damned!" she shouted.

Ororo gave Charles a look, "I told you we should have told her."

Jean began crying, "So he's really…"

"Dead?" Charles asked. "Yes. No one held a funeral, since it was outed that he was a...freak."

Her tears dried and eyes narrowed, "Freak, huh? Maybe that's what his destiny is then. Maybe all of ours. To kill innocent mutants when they are revealed."

Everyone knew she wasn't talking about Evan, but didn't know who it was, "Jean...did something happen."

She flipped her hair over her shoulder and walked upstairs, "Nothing at all."

The three in the foyer shared a look. Charles wheeled toward his office, "I think I need to call John and see what I can find out about her."

Henry departed for his lab and Ororo retreated to the library, fearful of running into her friend and her temper, though she knew she was being hypocritical and had done no better to Jean on multiple occasions. Still, it wasn't the ideal situation for a Friday night in June.

* * *

Senior year began and passed, through a flurry of exams and homework assignments. Scott hoped that with the end of tests would come the end to his increasing migraines. Staring at pages for a long time made his eyes burn, so the end of that was greatly anticipated...at least until college the next year.

Another addition to Scott's senior year had been the beginning of a relationship with Selina. He was a basketball player, not the star anymore, dating a cheerleader. Things were great!

So when prom time came around, he was just as excited as every other senior boy who wouldn't admit it. He had asked Selina and the girl had happily agreed, temporarily forgetting that she was supposed to be mad at him for talking to Alicia earlier that day. However, by the night of prom, something else had occurred.

Scott had received a hug from Betty Wilder.

Oh, the horror. Scott had tutored Betty with her math assignments, allowing her to pass, and she had thanked him with a hug he couldn't refuse. Unfortunately, his jealous girlfriend had seen the entire thing and had waited until they were in the middle of the dance floor the night of prom to dump him.

Angry and hurt, with a returning migraine, Scott ran off to the boys bathroom to calm himself down, and maybe lessen his headache.

Clyde followed, "I saw what happened, man. I'm sorry."

A silent apology passed from Scott to Clyde when Scott nodded at him with a soft smile and all animosity was forgotten for the moment. Scott turned on the faucet and rinsed some water over his eyes, hoping that would help with the burning. His dad has seasonal allergies, so why not him?

"Hey, Clyde, could you tell me if my eyes are bloodshot? I think I'm getting sick," Scott asked, turning to his friend.

Clyde jumped back away from him, "No! You're eyes are red! Like, really red."

Scott rolled his eyes, "Thanks. I already knew that."

"No, Scott! They're...glowing."

A sharp spike of pain like he had never felt before shot through his skull. He gasped, ready to scream, but the pain moved from where it had been before to the back of his eyes. It was a strange feeling, but it no longer hurt and the burning had stopped.

Weird.

He stood and opened his eyes toward the stalls and that's when everything exploded. Literally. His eyes projected a crimson blast which destroyed the far wall of the boys bathroom into the girls and into the three rooms beyond that before he shut them. It was loud and destructive.

He could hear screams and hoped that no one had gotten hurt. It was a bit before he heard anything other than terrified shouts and screams.

"It was him! He did it! I know he did!"

"How?"

"I don't know! Maybe it came from his eyes and that's why he's clenching them shut?"

"What the hell are you high on?"

Scott was shaking, "Clyde?"

No answer.

He heard sirens and the loud, authoritative voices of police begin to arrive as the scared, also loud voices of parents began to shout, "It was the Summers kid! Clyde saw it! GET HIM!"

Scott sent up a prayer that someone would help him find his way. With that, he stood and ran away from the shouts and just kept running, blind, until someone tackled him to the ground and hauled him off to the jail.

"Sorry, son, but until we have some answers, you can't go anywhere. Also, with that mob out there, I think you'll be safer in jail," some nameless cop told him.

"Can you call my parents?" Scott asked, voice quivering like his lower lip. "I...want my father."

"Sure, kid. After we get to the station."

* * *

Jean was eating a bowl of Cheerios for breakfast when Ororo came running into the kitchen, "Hey, Jean! Didn't you go to Waterhill High?"

"Yeah. Wh-"

"Did you know a kid named, uh, Scott Summers?"

Her blood chilled. She dropped her spoon, slowly stood on shaky legs, and stared her friend down, "What happened?"

Ororo pointed to the television where Scott's senior picture was floating above the red letters _Teen Blows Up At Prom._

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" she asked no one in particular.

Charles rolled in, "It means you have a phone call."

He held the phone out to her and she snatched it, "Hello?"

"Jean?"

"Yeah?"

"Oh, thank God! Jean, it's Kath-Mrs. Summers. Jean, Scott needs your help. I think he might be one of you."

She was confused, "One of me? What do you mean? Is he okay?"

"He's scared and has locked himself in a room with a gun stolen from a cop he was brought in by. The room is unfortunately an ammunition room and he has access to grenades and such. Jean, they're," Katherine burst into tears. "They're gonna kill him if he doesn't cooperate."

"Tell them I'm bringing help. They don't need to use force. It'll just get more people hurt. Do they know what...blowing up prom was?"

"It seems he can now shoot some sort of...laser or something out of his eyes and it blew up some of the rooms, including two bathrooms. Seven students were hurt from debris, one teacher, but there's quite the mob outside."

"I'm on my way. Don't let them hurt Scott!"

"I won't. Good luck, Jean."

She hung up and looked at Charles, "I'm going back for a bit. I want to go in alone, but do you think you could stay by a phone…"

Charles smiled, "Call when you need help."

She kissed his cheek and ran out of the mansion, only stopping to grab her purse and a jacket before starting her car and speeding toward her home. It was usually an hour and a half drive back to where she called home, but Jean completed it in 45 minutes flat, speeding laws be damned.

There was indeed a mob outside. It was quite terrifying if she hadn't known better, and it was hard to keep her telepathy in check with that crowd.

_You'll be fine, Jean. Just focus._

She was startled. _Professor? Are you using Cerebro?_

_Yes. I'll be with you to help with your telepathy. I've located Scott, but he has high natural mental shields, which I'm sure you've noticed by now. I can't communicate with him._

_That's okay, Professor. He has me._

_That he does. Good luck, Jean._

Jean pushed her way through the crowd, and was promptly stopped by police, "Ma'am, you can't go in there."

She glared at him, "Excuse me, sir. My name is Jean Grey. I was requested to help by the Summers family. If you don't believe me, go get one of them."

Christopher Summers was the one they sent outside, probably for fear of his wife and younger son being hurt by the crowd. Chris spotted Jean from her red hair, saw her face, and nodded her inside. The crowd erupted in violent distain over Jean getting to go inside.

"Why the hell does that freak get to go in? Scott hurt my baby and you're sending this bitch in? Fuck the police!"

Chills rose up her back at their words and Chris simply smiled sadly at her, "It's no better in the military, honey."

They walked silently, passing a bunch of police officers ready to storm the area Scott was sitting in. Finally, they arrived near a cop who was talking into the closed door, "Scott, please, you know you can't win this. No one will hurt you."

"Tell that to the crowd outside," Alex mumbled, earning himself a slap on the back of the head from his mom.

"Scott, your family is out here. Do you want them to see this?"

No answer.

Jean walked over to the man and whispered, "Sir, I'm Jean Grey. I'm Scott's friend. He'll listen to me."

"Give it a try, sweetheart, but he ain't listen' to nobody," he said, lighting a cigarette.

Jean wrinkled her nose at the term of endearment and opened the door before anyone could stop her and stepped inside, shutting it behind her. She could hear the quiet sobs of Katherine as the mother thought this was the end.

"I thought I told you bastards to stay OUT OF HERE!" Scott screamed.

"Jesus Christ, Scott, it's me," she exclaimed.

"...Jean?"

"Duh."

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm your last hope," she said, walking around a shelf to get to him.

"I-I-I don't need you. I'm…"

"going to die," Jean finished for him. "Let me help you."

"Maybe I want to die," he said in a quiet voice.

"You're such a liar. The Scott I know would have wanted to live and go out fighting."

Jean could have sworn she heard a sniffle, "I'm not the Scott you knew."

Walking around the corner, she could see with a gasp that she was right. This was no longer the strong Scott she knew. This was a terrified, crying, self-hating mutant child, "Oh, Scotty."

Scott was sitting, back to the wall, with his legs up and his arm with the gun resting on them. Jean didn't know how many times Scott had picked up a gun, but he clearly looked uncomfortable with it, like he didn't want to use it. More than that, his face was red and blotchy from obvious crying, but there were no tears. How were there no tears?

Her voice quivered and was soft as she said, "Scott?"

Scott groaned like he was trying to hold in a sob and pressed his lips together, his eyes even tighter. She wanted to run over and comfort him, but first she needed to clarify something, "Are you gonna shoot me, Slim?"

It took him a moment to respond as he calmed himself enough to talk, "Of c-course not."

"Then, can I have the gun, please?"

His face paled and shock wiped the last of his tears away, "NO! It's the only thing keeping me alive! They wanna kill me! I wanna kill me!"

She walked toward him, "No, you don't and I promise they won't touch you."

"How? You can't stop them!"

"Yes, I can, and I will. I won't let them hurt you, Scott. You're my friend. My best friend."

He laughed, a harsh sound but obviously not directed at her, "Oh, yeah, I'm such a great friend…"

No one spoke for a moment before he continued, "You were right you know."

"About what?"

"That I was arrogant and cruel. That I didn't remember what it was like to be excluded," he smiled a bit. "I guess it wasn't a part I liked remembering about myself. I didn't like having no friends, and having them went to my head."

Her eyes filled with tears at the memory of their fight, "I never meant to make you feel bad, but…"

He crawled over to her, leaving the gun behind, and reached out for her. She reached back and he pulled her in, holding her close to him like he had once held his teddy bear. If he was honest, this was much better, "But what, Jeannie?"

Her voice was high, like it always got before she began bawling, "Was I really that bad of a friend to have?"

"No, no, Jean. You're not," Scott assured her, hugging her tighter as she clinged to him.

She hadn't heard him, "I mean, I know I should have called you or something, I get that. Hell, I should have made sure you were okay with what I am, but was there something else? What did I do?"

Scott kissed the crown of her forehead, though neither registered that he had done it, "You didn't do anything, Red. I was just an ass who was mad because you left. I guess all of the resentment I had from you being friends with Annie poured out when she died. I liked Annie and all, but...well, I was really only friend with her because you were. I wanted you."

"Why didn't you just talk to me?" she asked, looking at his familiar, though now blinded, face.

He smirked, a friendly one this time, "Why didn't you?"

They both laughed, but grew serious a moment later, "Jeannie, how are you going to get me out of here?"

"Do you trust me?"

"Uh-huh, but I don't trust them."

"Do you trust _me?_"

"Yeah."

"Then let me handle this...you're going to need to let go."

She smiled as he jumped and released her, "Oh! Sorry!"

"I'll be right back."

She gave his hand one last squeeze and walked away. When she opened the door to leave, she was practically assaulted by Katherine, "How is he? Is he okay? Will he come out?"

She closed the door, "He is fine now and has calmed down a bit. However, to make sure he comes out, I have a problem."

"What's that, girl?" the police chief asked her.

"He needs to come with me."

There were loud and long protests, which she let ring in the air for a few moments before Christopher Summers raised his arm to quiet them, "Are you going to charge my son with anything?"

The chief's eyes narrowed, "I could."

"Will you?"

There was an even longer moment of silence before he sighed, "No, I won't. Your son's a good kid, just scared. God knows we have kids breaking into shit around here all the time. Damned juvenile delinquents. I guess it's not his fault he can shoot shit from his eyes."

Katherine's blue eyes widened, "Are you going to release him?"

"If I can get him past the mob."

Jean grinned. _Professor, are you still there?_

_Of course, Jean. Are you sure you want me to do this?_

She was insulted. _You read my mind?_

_No, but I don't have to. I know what you want done. It doesn't seem right, though._

_Neither does mobbing a scared teenage boy because he couldn't control what he was. Would you not stop someone if they were about to shoot Ororo just because she's black? Would you have not stopped someone from killing Evan because he was gay? Is this no different? You're just going to mask him, not make them forget anything!_

_I understand, Jean. Are you ready?_

_Yep!_

_Let's bring him to the Institute...but run it by his family first._

_Oh!_

Jean started, "Mrs. Summers, I know a place he can be brought. It would be to the same place that helped me when I manifested, but you can't come. Not yet anyway. This mob will be following you, and we don't want them to follow me to where we can keep him, and the others, safe."

The parents looked ready to protest, but to everyone's surprise, it was Alex who spoke, "So I can never visit my brother again?"

"Of course you can, and he you! But first he needs to control this, and the first step to that is to calm him down and have him agree to this."

"Has he?"

Jean grinned, "I can be...very persuasive."

Alex muttered, "I'm not sure you'll have to _convince_ him to do anything."

She ignored him, "Well?"

Chris and Kate shared a look and then nodded at Jean, "Sounds good. Just take care of him, okay?"

Jean promised and walked back in the room to get Scott. Within twenty minutes and the pair being disguised as a tattooed drug lord and a female police officer escorting him off the premise, they began their journey to Westchester, Scott's eyes squeezed shut the entire trip.

* * *

**A very long chapter, much longer than I usually go for. I hope you can enjoy it and leave a review for me!**


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